A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Johannesburg, March 31st 2016 / The purpose of this research is to understand female entrepreneurship from the perspective of the female entrepreneurs themselves. Much of the literature in this field has been in the context of developed countries, and relatively little research has explored the entrepreneurial experiences of women entrepreneurs in developing countries. The study followed the interpretive approach utilising a social constructivist theoretical perspective, which sought to understand female entrepreneurs in terms of their subjectively constructed reality. Forty-three purposively selected female entrepreneurs, whose businesses had transitioned from the informal economy to the formal economy, were both observed and interviewed in depth. The data were analysed using principles of constant comparison and coding, then used to formulate theoretical propositions of female entrepreneurship. During the coding process, care was taken to safeguard the language and voice of the interviewees from the raw data through to the contribution to theory. This study reveals that female entrepreneurs’ initial identities evolve through unshackling themselves from the imposed patriarchal structures into new identities. Their initial identities were disenfranchised and shaped by their historical context. The female entrepreneurs engage in a process of balancing through their own agency; this shift is essential to their functioning as successful entrepreneurs. The circumstances and motivation for these female entrepreneurs typified the intentions of other female entrepreneurs; they were compelled to juggle their family considerations with the demands of their entrepreneurial activities. Notably, they relied on their personal expertise, and augmented their personal financial resources with bootstrapping instead of relying on debt. In addition, the study indicates that family, religion, and community are the driving forces sustaining the commitment to entrepreneurship amongst these women; it is not profit alone, although income is important to sustain those who rely on their support. The results indicate a strong association between historical context - understood in terms of cultural traditions - and female entrepreneurial activities. Culture and family can either be a constraint on, or an enabler of female entrepreneurship in a developing country context. In summary, the study may be helpful to current and future entrepreneurs as it examined the personal lived experiences as well as the contextual influences of these courageous women. / MB2016

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Women's role in contemporary Iranian economy has either been ignored or portrayed as suppressed by the state's so-called "Islamic" ideologies and policies. This thesis argues that while the post-revolutionary state's Islamization attempted to create a particular gender system that excludes women from the labour market, it has proved to be unsuccessful. This imposed gender system has failed to achieve its goals due to both unstable economic conditions and through the active role women have played in opposing this set of ideologies. Concurrently, Iranian women have confirmed themselves as income-earning and economically productive individuals, contributing to the social and economic well being of their families as well as their country. The field study herein focuses on a sample of these economically active women, including both formally employed women and women who have set up (informal) businesses at home. It is argued that both groups of women contribute significant monetary income to the household and consequently to the economic and social development of their nation. In doing so they also challenge state ideologies and policies that restrict their economic and social role.

This study investigated the effects of globalisation on the empowerment of women in middle management positions. The first aim of the study was to determine the effects of globalisation on the empowerment of women in middle management. The second aim of the study was to establish if there is a correlation between perceptions of globalisation and empowerment for women in middle management. The third aim of the study was to describe the perceptions of women in middle management of globalisation. Globalisation and empowerment scales were used to achieve the objectives of the study and to measure the impact of globalisation on women. The measuring instruments were administered to groups of women in middle management. Fifty questionnaires were analysed. The sample consisted of twenty-five (25) respondents of women from private and twenty-five (25) from public organisations. The results of the factors analysed according to the aims of the study were as follows: • That there were significant differences between women in the private and the public sector with regard to perceptions of both globalisation and women's empowerment and that there were more women in the private sector than in the public sector who were positive about both the globalisation and women's empowerment. • That there was a significant positive correlation between women's perceptions of globalisation and empowerment. • That women from both sectors agreed that globalisation had a positive effect on their social, political and economic lives. That there was a need to provide women with self empowerment and training programmes that will equip them with the necessary skills so that they may occupy senior positions and be able to a make a meaningful contribution to the decision making process. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

This thesis examined the concept of career commitment and its relationship to certain demographic variables, including gender, to determine if a positive relationship existed. The purpose of this research was to address from a different perspective the perceptions identified in previous research that female public relations practitioners lack managerial motivation and a willingness to sacrifice family needs for work, to see if there might be some refutation or support for these perceptions.One hundred and eighty three Indiana public relations practitioners completed a 39-item telephone survey questionnaire. The findings in this study revealed that there is no significant difference between male and female practitioners in work commitment, and there is no relationship between certain demographic variables, including gender, and work commitment.The findings that female public relations practitioners are just as committed to their careers as their male colleagues indicates that, at least in Indiana, there is simply no basis for the sex-role stereotypes that have been identified in previous research. / Department of Journalism

This thesis will examine the experiences of China's urban private businesspeople over the reform-era (1978--present). I will show that this socioeconomic group has experienced colossal improvements in the political, economic and social environment in which they operate their businesses. In contrast to the early reform years, in the 1990s businesspeople have, in the words of a businesswoman I interviewed, been "given the green light." The business climate is so favourable that successful private economic actors have become an elite and privileged group. However, no analysis of China's private businesspeople is complete without attention to the issue of gender. Persistent gender bias and discrimination against women in Chinese society has a negative impact on the ability of businesswomen to take advantage of the friendly new business environment and its attendant opportunities. / The overall trend toward a basically positive business climate and the gender specific challenges experienced by businesswomen will be examined primarily by presenting personal portraits of four private businesspeople selected out of forty formal interviews conducted by the author in the spring and summer of 1998 in Tianjin city, northeastern China.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the emerging characteristics of Asian women entrepreneurs in South Australia. This research also aims to improve current understanding of the existing literature of ethnic entrepreneurship and female entrepreneurship, especially as Asian women are rising in entrepreneurship. Business ownership is a significant opportunity for women in the business world. While there have been studies of ethnic entrepreneurship with partial concentration on women's participation in their family businesses, the majority of studies assume that ethnic women are a homogeneous group. Asian women entrepreneurs appear to bring together not only ethnic opportunities but also personal characteristics to enhance their business performance. It is, therefore, important to examine what contributes to the success of Asian women entrepreneurs in South Australia and understand how these Asian women entrepreneurs balance Australian and Asian business and personal values. This research is designed to be a simple and descriptive study using the experiences of 16 Asian women entrepreneurs, while not comparing the samples with anyone else's. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2007.

Thesis (M.C.M.)--Lincoln University, 2008. / Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.B.A.) - Carleton University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 80-85). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Universiteit Leiden, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [323]-339).